Methods and compositions including spore-forming bacteria for increasing the health of animals

ABSTRACT

Methods, compositions and bacterial isolates for improving the gastrointestinal health of animals and in particular of poultry are provided herein. The methods include administering an endospore-forming bacteria to an animal. The bacteria are selected for the ability to reduce the growth and presence of bacterial pathogens, such as  Salmonella, Clostridium,  and  Campylobacter , in the gastrointestinal tract of the animal. The bacteria are also selected for the ability to improve at least one production parameter in the animal.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application claims the benefit of priority of U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 61/365,188, filed Jul. 16, 2010,which is incorporated herein by reference in entirety.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

This invention was made with United States government support awarded bythe United States Department of Agriculture Food Safety Consortium grantnumber 2010-34211-20961. The United States may have certain rights inthis invention.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates in general to methods for improving thehealth of agricultural animals. In particular, the present inventionrelates to bacterial isolates, probiotic formulations comprising theisolates and methods selecting and of using the probiotic formulationsand isolates to improve the health of poultry.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The use of antibiotics in animal agriculture, in particular poultryproduction, is coming under increasing pressure from both consumers andgovernment regulatory agencies. This has created a need for effectiveantibiotic alternatives. The use of effective probiotics or direct-fedmicrobials (DFM) in animal agriculture may be one such potentialalternative. Presently there are two general subsets of bacteria used inprobiotic or DFM applications: lactic acid bacteria and Bacillus spp.

While some isolates are proven effective, lactic acid bacteria have thedisadvantage that they must be applied through the drinking water. Thisis because these types of organisms are generally not tolerant of theheat needed to pellet many animal feed diets. Additionally, since theseproducts must be applied through the water, the individual farmer isresponsible for applying the product. This often leads to issues ofcompliance with proper administration guidelines leading to improperapplication and reduced efficacy of these products.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Methods for improving the gastrointestinal tract health in animals,bacterial isolates and probiotic formulations comprising these isolatesare provided herein. The bacterial isolates are Bacillus spp. selectedfrom environmental sources that are capable of improving the health ofpoultry. These isolates were selected for their ability to 1) reduceSalmonella or other food-borne bacteria pathogenic to humans, 2) improveproduction parameters in commercial poultry operations, or 3) reduceenteric poultry bacterial pathogens. No known Bacillus DFM product,Bacillus isolate, or combination of Bacillus isolates are able toaccomplish all three tasks.

In one aspect, methods for improving gastrointestinal tract health inanimals are provided. The methods include administering anendospore-forming bacterium to an animal. The endospore-forming bacteriaare capable of reducing the number or growth of bacterial pathogens inthe gastrointestinal tract of the animal. In addition, administration ofthe endospore-forming bacterium to the animal improves at least oneproduction parameter in the animal.

In another aspect, bacterial isolates selected using the methodsdisclosed herein are provided and include Bacillus subtilis AM09041(ATCC Deposit Number ###-###), Bacillus subtilis AM0911 (ATCC DepositNumber ###-###), Bacillus subtilis NP122 (ATCC Deposit Number ###-###),Bacillus subtilis NP119B (ATCC Deposit Number ###-###) B. licheniformisB1 (ATCC Deposit Number ###-###), B. subtilis B2 (ATCC Deposit Number###-###), B. licheniformis RW25 (ATCC Deposit Number ###-###), B.licheniformis RW32 (ATCC Deposit Number ###-###), and B. licheniformisRW41 (ATCC Deposit Number ###-###).

In yet another aspect, multi-isolate combinations and probioticcompositions of the bacterial isolates disclosed herein are provided. Inone embodiment, a combination of B. subtilis (one or more distinctisolates or strains) and/or B. licheniformis (at least one isolate) isprovided. The bacterial isolates and probiotic formulations providedhere improve upon current technology because they increase performanceof commercial poultry, diminish common bacterial pathogens from withinthe gut of commercial poultry, and reduce common food-borneillness-associated bacteria, such as Salmonella, from within the gut ofcommercial poultry.

In a further aspect, animal feed comprising the probiotic compositionsor bacterial isolates disclosed herein is provided. The feed maycomprise between about 10⁴ and 10⁹ cfu/gm finished feed.

In still another aspect, methods for improving poultry health areprovided. The methods include administration of the probioticformulation or the animal feed described herein to an animal. Thegastrointestinal health of the animal may be improved by the method.

In a still further aspect, methods of selecting bacterial strains foruse in probiotic formulations are provided. The methods includeselecting facultative anaerobic bacterial strains capable of formingendospores, selecting bacterial strains capable of reducing growth ofpathogenic bacteria such as Salmonella enteritidis, Salmonellatyphimurium, Campylobacter jejuni or Clostridium perfringens in mixedcultures in vitro or in the gastrointestinal tract of animals, selectingbacterial strains capable of improving the growth rate of commercialpoultry, reducing the severity of necrotic enteritis and/or persistingin the gastrointestinal tract of poultry and removing any selectedbacterial strains not considered GRAS (Generally Regarded As Safe) bythe Food and Drug Administration (FDA), not eligible for inclusion intoanimal feed by the Association of American Feed Control Officials(AAFCO) or capable of hemolysis of sheep red blood cells.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete understanding of the present invention may be derived byreferring to the detailed description and claims when considered inconnection with the Figures.

FIG. 1 is a diagram of the in vitro portion of the isolate selectionprocedures used to isolate and select candidate probiotic/DFM isolates.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of the in vivo portion of the isolate selectionprocedures used to isolate and select candidate probiotic/DFM isolates.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Methods, compositions and bacterial isolates for improvedgastrointestinal health of poultry are disclosed. The compositionsinclude probiotic formulations or Direct-Fed Microbials (DFM) and animalfeed products. Methods of administration to improve animal health andreduce contamination of the human food chain and methods for isolatingspecific bacterial strains useful in the methods are also disclosed. Themethods and compositions provided herein also produce greaterconsistency of production parameters within a group of animals.

Methods for improving gastrointestinal tract health in animals includeadministering an endospore-forming bacterium to an animal. The bacteriamay be administered as spores, but need not be. The endospore-formingbacteria are capable of reducing the ability of bacterial pathogens togrow in the gastrointestinal tract of the animal. The number ofbacterial pathogens found within the gastrointestinal tract reduced inanimals administered the endospore-forming bacteria as compared tocontrol animals not administered the bacteria. Bacterial pathogensrefers to bacteria capable of causing disease i.e., morbidity ormortality, in either the animal being administered the bacteria orhumans. Pathogenic bacteria also include those bacteria capable ofcausing food-borne illness in humans.

The endospore-forming bacteria can be any bacteria capable ofsporulation such as those of the genus Bacillus, in particular Bacillussubtilis or Bacillus licheniformis. The endospore-forming bacteria aresuitably not pathogenic, i.e., they are not capable of causing morbidityor mortality in the animals being treated. Suitably the bacteria arefacultative anaerobes and capable of replicating and/or persistingwithin the gastrointestinal tract of the animal. Suitably, the bacteriaare Generally Regarded as Safe (GRAS) by the U.S. Food and DrugAdministration (FDA) and acceptable for inclusion in an animal diet orwater by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO).Suitably the endospore-forming bacteria are not capable of causinghemolysis when incubated with or grown on media containing red bloodcells. Suitably the endospore-forming bacteria are capable of reducingthe growth of at least one pathogenic bacterium.

Administration of the bacteria improves the gastrointestinal health ofthe animal. The gastrointestinal health includes the prevention ofdisease of the gastrointestinal tract itself, such as necrotic enteritisof the intestines, or the pathogenic bacterial load of the intestines,ceca or lower intestine and increase in production parameters for thetreated animals as compared to controls. Production parameters includebut are not limited to average daily weight gain, feed conversion rates,consistency of growth among a group of animals, ability to reproduce andbear healthy offspring, ability to produce eggs or milk and the quantityand quality of such production.

In accordance with one aspect, an exemplary composition or formulationcan include one or more bacteria capable of forming endospores. Bacteriacapable of forming endospores include bacteria of the genus Bacillus.Specific B. subtilis and B. licheniformis bacterial isolates aredisclosed herein, but other endospore forming bacteria suitable for usein the methods and compositions disclosed herein can be isolated andselected by those of skill in the art using the methods of selectiondescribed below and in the Examples. For example, a composition cancomprise a formulation containing one or two different isolates of B.subtilis and/or one or two isolates of B. licheniformis, wherein eachisolate is independently selected to perform a specific role and/orfunction. The combination of these isolates can be combined with anagricultural animal feed (specifically poultry feed) and ultimately usedto improve the health and productivity of the agricultural animals (e.g.livestock and/or poultry). For example the isolates and/or the combinedisolate formulations can reduce pathogenic bacteria, in particularfood-borne illness associated bacteria, that cause the eggs or meat tobe contaminated, can reduce gut pathogens in the poultry, and increaseweight gain or egg production of commercial poultry.

Specifically, the isolates can decrease the occurrence or load of atleast one of Salmonella, Campylobacter and Clostridium. Through thereduction of C. perfringens in the gastrointestinal tract of theagricultural animals and through other beneficial reactions of theisolates with the agricultural animals, the occurrence of necroticenteritis is reduced. In addition, reducing these bacteria decreases themortality rate of the agricultural animals, and the average daily weightgain of the agricultural animals is increased. In the case of poultry, areduced level of Salmonella within the gastrointestinal tract may leadto less carcass contamination as well as reduce the likelihood ofSalmonella contaminated eggs.

As described in the examples below, the bacterial isolates were selectedfor their ability to form spores and as such are resistant totemperature extremes. The selected bacteria are facultative anaerobesand are not hemolytic. The bacteria are capable of inhibiting orreducing the growth of both gram positive and gram negative bacteriasuch as Salmonella, Clostridium and Campylobacter. The ability to reducepathogenic bacterial growth allows the selected bacteria to reducenecrotic enteritis in poultry. The selected bacteria are also capable ofincreasing the growth rate and gastrointestinal health of commercialpoultry and are capable of persisting and colonizing in thegastrointestinal tract of poultry. The isolates are all considered asGRAS (Generally recognized as safe) by the FDA and are eligible forinclusion in animal feed by the AAFCO. Furthermore, these particularisolates are able to go through their entire life cycle within thegastrointestinal tract of agricultural animals, specifically incommercial poultry.

The bacterial isolates identified in the Examples and capable of beingused in probiotic formulations or in animal feed for use in the methodsdescribed herein are the following: Bacillus subtilis AM0904 (ATCCDeposit Number), Bacillus subtilis AM0911 (ATCC Deposit Number),Bacillus subtilis NP122 (ATCC Deposit Number), Bacillus subtilis NP119B(ATCC Deposit Number), B. licheniformis B1 (ATCC Deposit Number), B.subtilis B2 (ATCC Deposit Number), B. licheniformis RW25 (ATCC DepositNumber), B. licheniformis RW32 (ATCC Deposit Number), and B.licheniformis RW41 ATCC Deposit Number).

The spore, or inert, survival form of Bacillus spp. do not produce anyknown effectors which may reduce bacterial pathogens in thegastrointestinal tract or have other beneficial effects on the animal.In contrast, the vegetative form of the bacteria can produce effectors.Thus, reactivation and germination of the spores after administration islikely important to the improvement of poultry gastrointestinal health.The ability of Bacillus probiotic products to germinate within the gutof commercial poultry has not been adequately investigated. Thebacterial isolates described herein were also selected for their abilityto reactivate, germinate and colonize or persist within animals afteradministration of spores of the bacteria to animals.

Probiotic formulations comprising at least one of the bacterial isolatesprovided herein are also disclosed. The probiotic formulation maycomprise a combination of the bacterial isolates disclosed herein or mayinclude bacterial isolates other than those disclosed herein. Suitably,the bacteria used are capable of forming endospores, are capable ofreducing the pathogenic bacterial loads in the gastrointestinal tractand are capable of increasing at least one production parameter. Forexample, the probiotic formulation may include at least one Bacillussubtilis strain and/or at least one Bacillus licheniformis strain. Inother examples, the probiotic formulation may include two or moreBacillus subtilis strains or two or more Bacillus licheniformis strains.The bacterial isolates may be used in any combination in the probioticformulations. For example as combination of NP122 and B2 may be used.Alternatively, NP122 and B2 may be used in combination with AM0904 orAM0911. Any other possible combination of the bacterial isolatesprovided herein may also be made.

The ratio of one isolate to another in a combination probioticformulation can vary within a wide range. Suitably the ratio ofbacterial isolates is between 0.1:1 and 10:1, suitably between 0.5:1 and5:1, more suitably 1:1 to 3:1, more suitably it is between 1:1 and 2:1.In one embodiment the ratio of NP122 to B2 to AM0904 was 5:5.1. Theratios are based on the colony forming units (cfu) of the bacterialspores after reactivation.

The probiotic formulation is capable of improving the health of animalsafter administration to animals. In particular, the probioticformulation or animal feed comprising the probiotic formulation iscapable of improving the gastrointestinal health of poultry. This mayinclude reducing the incidence or severity of necrotic enteritis (by atleast 10%, 15% or even 20% as compared to controls and mortality may beprevented), reducing the bacterial load in the intestines of the animal,specifically with regards to levels of at least one of Salmonella,Campylobacter or Clostridium perfringens in the gastrointestinal tractof poultry (at least 50% decrease in recovery, suitably at least 60%,70%, 80%, 90% or even more of a decrease in recovery as compared tocontrols), and increasing the daily average weight gain of an animal (atleast a 3% increase suitably at least a 5%, 7%, 10%, 20%, 30% 40%, 50%,55%, 60% or even more increase in weight gain as compared to controls(measured as average daily weight gain)). The feed conversion rate mayalso be increased as compared to controls. For example the feedconversion rate may be increased by 2%, 3%, 5%, 7%, 10% or more.

Administration of the probiotic formulation may also reduce the level ornumber of potential bacterial food-borne pathogens of humans in thegastrointestinal tract of commercial poultry. In particular the level ofSalmonella and Campylobacter spp. in the gastrointestinal tract ofanimals administered the probiotic formulation may be reduced ascompared to control animals not administered the probiotic or thespore-forming bacteria. Such a reduction in potential human pathogenload in the gastrointestinal tract of poultry will limit the opportunityof contaminating the human food chain either during preparation of meatfor human consumption or via contamination of poultry eggs or milk.

These isolates, probiotic formulations comprising the isolates or animalfeed comprising the isolates or combinations thereof may be administeredto animals orally. Oral administration includes, but is not limited to,delivery in feed, water, by oral gavage or aerosol spray. Suitably theanimal is as poultry, more suitably a chicken or turkey. If supplied inan animal feed, the feed may comprise between 10⁴ and 10⁹ cfubacteria/gm of finished feed. Suitably the feed comprises between 10⁵and 5×10⁷ cfu bacteria/gm feed. The probiotic formulation may be addedto the feed during production, after production by the supplier or bythe person feeding the animals, just prior to providing the food to theanimals. The endospore-forming bacteria used in the methods andcompositions described herein are particularly suitable because they arecapable of surviving (as spores) the heat and pressure conditions of theprocess of producing a dry pelleted feed product.

These isolates or isolate combinations for inclusion in the methods andincluding those isolates selected and described in the Examples areselected for inclusion in agricultural animal diets to increase overallgastrointestinal health, improve production performance, and reduceenteric bacterial pathogens of importance to both animal health andhuman food safety. These isolates alone or in combination may be addedto poultry diets at the rate of about 10⁴ to 10⁹ (1.1×10⁷ in theExamples) spores per gram of finished feed for optimal inclusion rate,if the bacteria or probiotic compositions being administeredcontinuously. A higher inclusion rate may be necessary if spores of thebacteria or the compositions are provided intermittently. Whileadministration though the feed is the primary route of administration,the spores of these isolates may also be administered via the drinkingwater, through course spray, through aerosol spray, or through any othermeans by which the agricultural animals may ingest these isolates orcombination of isolates.

Methods of isolating bacteria strains for inclusion in probioticformulations are also provided herein and are depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2.The methods include both in vitro and in vivo tests to select bacteriafrom a source and may be completed in any order. Sources of potentialbacterial isolates include animal feces, environmental or soil samples,laboratory stocks or bacteria from tissue and cell supply warehousessuch as the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC). The bacteria maythen be isolated and selected by selecting facultative anaerobicbacterial strains capable of forming spores; capable of reducing thegrowth of or killing Salmonella enteritidis, Salmonella typhimurium,Campylobacter jejuni and/or Clostridium perfringens; capable ofimproving growth rate of commercial poultry; capable of reducing theseverity of necrotic enteritis; capable of persisting in thegastrointestinal tract of poultry. The methods also include removingbacterial strains not considered GRAS by the FDA, not eligible forinclusion into animal feed by AAFCO or those capable of hemolysis.Bacterial strains fitting these criteria may then be included inprobiotic formulations.

The present invention sets forth exemplary isolates, compositions, andmethods for improving GI tract health in animals. It will be understoodthat the description is of exemplary embodiments of the invention, andthat the invention is not limited to the specific forms shown. Variousmodifications may be made in the design and arrangement of the elementsset forth herein without departing from the scope of the invention. Forexample, the various components can be used in various combinations inaddition to those illustrated in the exemplary embodiments, and thevarious steps can be conducted in different orders. These and otherchanges or modifications are intended to be included within the scope ofthe present invention

EXAMPLES

Environmental samples or poultry fecal supplies were collected usingsterile cotton swabs and placed into a sterile borosilicate tube fortransport. An outline of the in vitro tests used to select bacterialisolates is depicted in FIG. 1. The swabs were either immersed in 50%ethanol or heated to 70° C. for 15 min prior to being used to inoculatetryptic soy agar (TSA) and Spizizen potato agar (SPA) to select forBacillus spp. After incubation for 24 h and 72 h respectively at 37° C.,the resulting cultures were overlaid with a TSA soft agar containingnovobiocin (NO) at 25 μg/ml and 10⁶ cfu/ml Salmonella enterica serovarEnteritidis phage type 13A (SE) originally obtained from the U.S.Department of Agriculture National Veterinary Services Laboratory. Afterincubation, those colonies which produced zones of inhibition in the SEoverlay were selected for isolation. The selected colonies werepasteurized in 50% ethanol for 30 minutes then isolated on the samemedium from which they were selected and incubated for either 24 h (TSA)or 72 h (SPA) at 37° C. The isolates ability to inhibit growth of SE wasconfirmed using a second SE overlay. Those isolates with confirmed invitro ability to inhibit SE growth were amplified and selected forfurther analysis.

TSA plates containing sheep blood were inoculated with the isolates andincubated for 24 h at 37° C. The plates were then evaluated and scoredfor level of hemolysis. All isolates causing alpha or beta hemolysiswere not evaluated further. Similarly, further testing of any isolatewhose colony morphology was consistent with that of the B. cereus group(B. cereus, B. mycoides, B. thurigensis, and B. anthrasis) wasdiscontinued. Those isolates with the greatest in vivo antimicrobialactivity (anti-SE) were identified using the bioMerieux API 50 CHB testkit.

The Bacillus isolates identified using the above methods were furtherscreened for in vitro microbial inhibitory activity for Clostridiumperfringens (CP) and Campylobacter jejuni. A similar overlay method asdescribed above was used, but overlays were incubated anaerobically andNO was not added to the overlay media.

In an effort to grow high numbers of viable spores, a solid statefermentation media was used. Only isolates which were able to grow andsporulate to greater than 1×10¹⁰spores per gram were selected forfurther evaluation. Three samples of each of the sporulated candidatecultures were diluted 1:9 in 0.9% sterile saline. Duplicate samples weresubjected to room temperature for 30 min or 100° C. for 10 min to assessheat stability of the candidate spores. Following the heat treatments,the spore solutions were diluted, plated and incubated overnight at 37°C. on TSA plates for colony forming unit determination. Only isolateswhose spores lost less than 1 log₁₀ unit after heat treatment werefurther evaluated.

Isolates which passed the in vitro testing were evaluated using asseries of in vivo tests illustrated in FIG. 2. These isolates wereselected for further analysis in in vivo trials with poults and chicksdue to their performance in the in vitro tests. An antibiotic freecorn-soy turkey starter diet produced by the University of ArkansasDepartment of Poultry Science feed mill (Fayetteville, Ark. 72701) andformulated to meet or exceed the National Research Council requirementsfor critical nutrients of young poults and chicks was used as the basaldiet for these experiments. Spores from the candidate isolates wereadded to the basal diet at a concentration of about 10⁶ cfu/gm of feedand mixed with a rotary mixer for 15 minutes to distribute sporesthroughout feed.

Commercial broiler chicks and commercial turkeys were obtained on day ofhatch and orally gavaged with Salmonella typhimurium (ST) at a dose ofabout 10⁵ cfu/chick. They were then randomly assigned to groups:negative control (basal diet) or a group fed the basal diet containingspores of one of the candidate isolates (n=20/group). The poults andchicks were then tagged, weighed, and placed into the appropriate floorpens by treatment. The poults and chicks had fresh pine shaving asbedding material and had free access to feed and water throughout theduration of the trial. At the conclusion of the trial, on or about day10, the chicks and poults were weighed. The cecal tonsils wereaseptically removed and placed into tetrathionate broth. The ceca werehomogenized and diluted 1:4 by weight with sterile saline. Total viablecounts of ST were determined by plating dilutions on BGA plates with NO(25 μg/mL) and nalidixic acid (NA; 20 μg/mL) after 24 h of incubation at37° C. The plates were examined for the presence of colonies typical ofthis strain of ST on BGA media. Isolates which produced body weightgains greater than control and led to a decreased recovery of ST wereselected for further testing, while unsuccessful isolates werediscarded.

Successful isolates from the above test were again incorporated in apoultry ration as described above. Spores from the candidate isolateswere added to the basal diet and mixed with a rotary mixer for 15minutes to distribute spores throughout feed. Commercial broiler chickswere obtained on day of hatch and orally gavaged with Salmonellatyphimurium (ST). They were then randomly assigned to groups: negativecontrol (basal diet) or a group fed the basal diet containing spores ofone of the candidate isolates. The chicks were then tagged, weighed, andplaced into the appropriate floor pens by treatment group (n=20/group).The chicks had fresh pine shaving as bedding material and had freeaccess to feed and water throughout the duration of the trial. Atapproximately 3 weeks of the age all chicks were weighed then orallygavaged with Eimeria maxima (EM). On days 3-5 post challenge with EM allchicks were challenged with Clostridium perfringens. On or about 4 weeksof age all chicks were weighed and the chicks intestines were assigned asubjective score for necrotic enteritis lesions as previously described(Avian Diseases 51(4):834-839 (2007)). Isolates which significantlyreduced (p<0.5) the severity of necrotic enteritis were kept for furtherevaluation.

In a subsequent test, all successful isolates were evaluated for theirability to persist within the gastrointestinal tract of commercialpoultry. Commercial broiler chicks were obtained on day of hatch themrandomly separated into groups. These chicks were placed by group intoisolator units. The chicks were fed a standard broiler starter rationwhich had previously been heat sterilized. On or about day 7, theindividual groups (n=20) of broiler chicks were orally gavaged withabout 10⁹ cfu of the candidate isolates or sterile saline (as a negativecontrol). The persistence of the candidate isolates was evaluated byenumerating ingesta from individual birds in most experiments. Many ofthe tested isolates declined in numbers markedly such that by 72 hourspost-gavage, cfu of less than 1×10³ cfu/gm ingesta were enumerated,declining similarly to an expected gut passage time of approximately 4-6hours, indicating that these isolates were not replicating within thegastrointestinal tract. However, some isolates were recovered at levelsof greater than 1×10⁵ cfu/gm at 96 hours post-gavage. Such isolates wereselected for further evaluation. Isolates which persisted longer thantheir predicted half life were selected for continued evaluation.

Using the selection processes a total of nine isolates were found to bepotentially useful, alone or in combination with other isolates, as aprobiotic or DFM for use in commercial poultry. These nine isolatesinclude Bacillus subtilis strains AM0904 (ATCC Deposit Number ###-###),AM0911 (ATCC Deposit Number ###-###), NP122 (ATCC Deposit Number###-###), and NP119B (ATCC Deposit Number ###-###) and B. licheniformisstrains to include B1 (ATCC Deposit Number ###-###), B2 (ATCC DepositNumber ###-###), RW25 (ATCC Deposit Number ###-###), RW32 (ATCC DepositNumber ###-###), and RW41 (ATCC Deposit Number ###-###).

In a final series of testing, the isolates were retested not asindividual isolates, but in combinations of 2 to 3 isolates. Thesecombinations were subjected to the aforementioned in vivo tests andevaluated using the same parameters stated above, as well as compared tothe performance of the individual isolates in these same tests. The bestperforming isolates and isolate combinations were used further in fieldtesting and were considered as potential candidates for inclusion in afinal product.

Combinations of the above listed isolates may include, but are notlimited to, the following: NP122, AM0904, and B2. This combination hasbeen shown to be effective when administered in the ratio of 5:5:1 forisolates NP122, B2 and AM0904 respectively. When administered in thefeed this combination has been show to be effective to yield significant(p<0.05) reduction of Salmonella infection (50-90% decrease inrecovery), necrotic enteritis mortality and lesions (22% in controls to0% in treated), and improving body weight gain during challenge periodsby more than 50% when administered at the rate of5×10⁶:5×10⁶:1×10⁶:spores per gram of finished feed for isolates NP122,B2 and AM0904, respectively.

1. A method for improving gastrointestinal tract health in animalscomprising: administering an endospore-forming bacterium to an animal,wherein the bacterium is capable of reducing growth of Salmonellaenteritidis, Campylobacter jejuni and Clostridium perfringens in vitroand is capable of reducing the growth of Salmonella typhimurium in thegastrointestinal tract of the animal, wherein the bacterium is capableof persisting in the gastrointestinal tract of poultry for over sixhours and wherein administration of the spore-forming bacterium to theanimal improves at least one production parameter in the animal.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the endospore-forming bacterium isadministered as an endospore comprised within a dry pelleted animalfeed.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the endospore-forming bacteriumare Bacillus subtilis or Bacillus licheniformis.
 4. (canceled)
 5. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the bacterium is capable of reducing theseverity of necrotic enteritis in poultry, and wherein the bacterium isnot capable of hemolysis and is considered as Generally Recognized AsSafe by the United States Food and Drug Administration.
 6. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the endospore-forming bacterium is administered via theanimal feed or within a probiotic formulation.
 7. The method of claim 1,wherein the endospore-forming bacterium is capable of surviving animalfeed processing.
 8. (canceled)
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein theanimals are poultry.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the productionparameter is selected from increasing the daily weight gain of theanimal, decreasing morbidity or mortality of the animal from any cause,or decreasing morbidity or mortality of the animal from bacterialpathogens.
 11. The method claim 1, wherein the spore-forming bacteriumcomprises at least one of Bacillus subtilis AM0904 (ATCC Deposit Number###-###, Bacillus subtilis AM0911 (ATCC Deposit Number ###-###) Bacillussubtilis NP122 (ATCC Deposit Number ###-###), Bacillus subtilis NP119B(ATCC Deposit Number ###-###), B. licheniformis B1 (ATCC Deposit Number###-###), B. subtilis B2 (ATCC Deposit Number ###-###), B. licheniformisRW25 (ATCC Deposit Number ###-###), B. licheniformis RW32 (ATCC DepositNumber ###-###), or B. licheniformis RW41 (ATCC Deposit Number ###-###).12. A bacterial isolate selected from the group of Bacillus subtilisAM0904 (ATCC Deposit Number ###-###), Bacillus subtilis AM0911 (ATCCDeposit Number ###-###), Bacillus subtilis NP122 (ATCC Deposit Number###-###), Bacillus subtilis NP1198 (ATCC Deposit Number ###-###) B.licheniformis B1 (ATCC Deposit Number ###-###), B. subtilis B2 (ATCCDeposit Number ###-###), B. licheniformis RW25 (ATCC Deposit Number###--###), B. licheniformis RW32 (ATCC Deposit Number ###-###), and B.licheniformis RW41 (ATCC Deposit Number ###-###).
 13. A probioticformulation comprising at least one of the bacterial isolates of claim12.
 14. The probiotic formulation of claim 13, wherein the bacterialisolate is capable of improving gastrointestinal tract health inpoultry.
 15. The probiotic formulation of claim 14, wherein improvingthe gastrointestinal tract health comprises at least one of reducingpotential bacterial food-borne pathogens of humans from thegastrointestinal tract of commercial poultry, reducing at least one ofSalmonella, Campylobacter or Clostridium perfringens in thegastrointestinal tract of poultry, or increasing the daily weight gainof the poultry. 16.-18. (canceled)
 19. The probiotic formulation ofclaim 13, wherein the formulation comprises at least one Bacillussubtilis isolate and at least one Bacillus licheniformis isolate or atleast two Bacillus subtilis isolates.
 20. (canceled)
 21. The probioticformulation of claim 19, wherein the ratio of Bacillus isolates isbetween 0.5:1 and 3:1.
 22. The probiotic formulation of claim 13,wherein the Bacillus subtilis isolates comprise NP122, AM0904 or B2. 23.The probiotic formulation of claim 22, wherein the strains are presentin a ratio of about 5:5:1 for NP122, B2 and AM0904.
 24. The probioticformulation of claim 13, wherein the formulation is configured to beadministered via an agricultural animal feed substrate.
 25. An animalfeed comprising the probiotic formulation of claim 13, wherein the feedcomprises between 10⁴ and 10⁹ spores/gram finished feed.
 26. A methodfor improving gastrointestinal tract health in an animal comprising:orally administering the probiotic formulation of claim 13 to theanimal.
 27. (canceled)
 28. The method of claim 26, wherein oraladministration includes delivery via feed, water, oral gavage, oraerosol spray.
 29. The method of claim 26, wherein the animal ispoultry.
 30. A method for selecting bacterial strains for use in aprobiotic formulation for improving the gastrointestinal health ofpoultry, comprising: (a) in vitro selection of facultative anaerobicbacterial strains capable of forming spores; (b) in vitro selection ofbacterial strains capable of reducing growth of Salmonella enteritidis,Salmonella typhimurium, Campylobacter jejuni and Clostridiumperfringens; (c) in vivo selection of bacterial strains capable ofimproving the growth rate of commercial poultry or capable of reducingthe severity of necrotic enteritis, and capable of persisting in thegastrointestinal tract of poultry beyond an average passage time of sixhours; and (d) removing bacterial strains not satisfying at least one ofthe following criteria: (i) not considered Generally Recognized As Safeby the United States Food and Drug Administration; (ii) not eligible forinclusion into animal feed as determined by AAFCO (Association OfAmerican Feed Control Officials); and (iii) removing those strainscapable of hemolysis.